


What Drives Us

by nirejseki



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, M/M, Trolls, Wicked Sense of Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:51:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9298967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nirejseki/pseuds/nirejseki
Summary: The people you date can bring out different sides of you.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This 'fic' is actually two short prompt fills that ended up being in the same universe, so I decided I'd make it its own fic in case I wanted to keep going.
> 
> This chapter's prompt is: i wish you would write a coldwest fic with the prompt: "whatever it is you're about to ask, no."

"Whatever it is you're about to ask, no."

Len raises both of his eyebrows.

Iris points at him. "No."

"But you haven't even -"

"No!"

"Now that's just unfair," he drawls.

She hates it when he drawls. It's so unfairly sexy. It shouldn't even _be_ sexy - it's horrid and nasal and so incredibly _him_ , and it's really just not okay for that to be as intriguing as it is. 

"Still no," she insists, but he can see her weakening. 

"I'll trade you for it," he offers.

Iris' eyes narrows. "I'm not agreeing to something blindly, what sort of idiot do you think I am?"

"For the opportunity to make my case," he clarifies.

"If I let you 'make your case', you'll convince me," she says. Experience has taught her that much. "So no."

He shrugs.

...is he really just going to accept her answer?

Damnit, it looks like he is.

If only she wasn't so curious, she'd be impressed.

Unfortunately for her, she _is_ that curious.

"Fine," she concedes grumpily. "What's your offer? For the right to make your case, that is."

He manages to look remarkably smug despite making a careful (almost pointed) effort not to actually smirk outright. 

"Two orgasms," he says promptly. "Deliverable at the time, place and position of your choosing, with the exception of mid-heist or otherwise pitched battle."

He'd learned that one the hard way. Iris was really quite proud of how she'd managed to totally derail one of his heists without revealing the nature of their relationship. (She'd just yelled at him that he owed her and threatened to call it in right then and there. Everyone had assumed it was something Flash or journalism related, thank god.)

Also, two guaranteed orgasms was nothing to sneer at. Say what you will about Leonard Snart, you definitely couldn't fault his work ethic.

There was a _reason_ she kept falling into bed with him.

Besides, well...

"Fine," she says again. "Done. Now what's the idea? And just so you know, I'm starting from a 'no' position."

This time, Len smirks.

"I was thinking," he says. "The Legends are coming back day after tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I was thinking we could throw a party," he says. “Nice little thing. Here, maybe. Invite Caitlin and Shawna now that they’ve hooked up, drag Cisco and Lisa out of their love nest…get a few drinks, make a few canapes…”

Iris blinks. "We as in - you and me?" she hazards a guess, because that’s what it sounds like, but he couldn’t possibly mean...

He nods.

"How in the world is that a good idea?" she demands. "You know my dad will go ballistic if he ever finds out about this!" She waves between the two of them: the crumpled sheets, the nudity, the whole lot of it. 

"That's exactly the reasoning."

"Why the hell would I agree to bring my dad's wrath down on my head? There's no reason in the world that -"

"It'll distract your dad from the fact that he caught Barry and Mick making out in Saints and Sinners the other day."

Iris winces and sits up, catching the blanket before it drops down. It occurs to her she might've had more leverage if they'd been dressed while having this conversation, but damnit, she’d had a _really_ bad day at work and she'd needed some exercise of the stress-relieving variety. That's not important now. "He caught them?"

"Yesterday evening," Len confirms. "And now he's gotten it into his head that Barry was cheating on you, and he is _pissed_."

"But we're not _together_!"

" _Anymore_. And you never did tell your dad that, did you?"

Iris groans and thumps her head back onto the pillow. Len settles gently by her side. He'd managed to slink back into a shirt and pants sometime after she'd fallen asleep. He always did; it was like magic.

"We separated because Barry was being unduly paranoid about my future, losing me, making me a target, etc." she says, staring at the ceiling. "And then Barry bonded with Mick over losing loved ones, and then just as they finally fall into bed together, you come _back_ from the dead and mess everything up -"

"Not intentionally," Len says, but it's not defensive. He knows how close he came to messing things up for Barry and Mick - and not through any ill-will of his own, just by being there. 

" - and then we had to work together to get them _back_ together, and that was just ridiculous -"

That'd been when _they'd_ fallen into bed together. It had been necessary stress relief, as Barry and Mick were both so bullheadedly stubborn that both Len and her were going totally spare trying to convince them that their respective issues did _not_ mean that they were doomed to be sad and alone forever despite the availability of a similarly pining person to whom they were overwhelmingly attracted. 

"- and there just wasn't _time_ to explain to Dad that we'd broken up."

"Technically, you're still just separated," Len says comfortingly. "Just, you know, also sleeping with other people."

"Says the guy who's _married_ to Mick."

"Why not? No testifying, hospital privileges, better tax bracket..."

"I can't believe you guys did that."

"It was in the middle of a heist," Len confesses. "Pride Parade, Boston, 2004 - we ended up hiding from the heat in a line for quickie marriages – they waived the waiting requirement –”

Iris laughs.

"The would-be arresting officer ended up as our witness."

"Oh _god_. That's just stupid enough to be true."

"Of course, we'll get divorced," he adds. "Hell, we could get it annulled if we wanted, but what with no-fault divorce, I figure we'll just sign the papers officially at the party."

"Why's that?" she asks, still imagining that poor cop's face when he was asked to witness a marriage between two (platonic!) criminal soulmates.

"Well, bigamy's illegal," Len says. "And you did tell me up front I wasn't allowed to drag you into anything illegal."

Iris rolls over and stares at him. "Are you proposing?"

"Why not? No testifying, hospital privileges, better tax bracket...”

She stares at him.

“…you don't have to say yes,” he clarifies. “I figure the shock of actual matrimony is the only thing that’ll get your dad off of his current bout of overprotective father induced homophobia. And before he tells Oliver and Oliver comes and sticks his stupid nose into everything with another ‘Barry, I think you need to re-think your relationship with your Rogues’ rant."

"My dad's going to kill us," Iris says faintly. 

"Tell him you're pregnant," Len suggests.

Iris considers this. "Well," she says. "I guess if we start with ‘shotgun wedding’ and twin babies – one yours, one Barry’s what do you think?”

“I love it,” Len says, totally sincere. No one was as committed to serious hard-core trolling than Leonard Snart.

Unless, of course, you were Iris West. 

“Conceived in a threesome, of course,” she adds.

“For shame, Iris,” Len says. “Foursome, obviously. With a married couple, no less.”

“So we went swinging and came out the revolving door with the wrong couple?”

“Exactly!”

“Yeah, after that he'll _definitely_ be a lot happier to hear they're just dating. Or that we're just dating. Wait. Are we dating?"

"I have no idea," Len says. "Does it matter? I'll get you a nice piece of ice for the engagement ring. Possibly even legally. Maybe."

"You'd better, _Captain Cold_ ," Iris says, then frowns. "Not that one you stole way back when, though."

"The Kahndaq Dynasty diamond?"

"That one. Too big. I’m going to have to lug it around the entire time we’re doing this; it’ll break my hand."

"Definitely," Len agrees. "Size of your thumb good?"

"I should have stuck with 'no'," she sighs. "But what the hell, he deserves it for the whole harassing Eddie and setting up me and Barry thing."

Then she thinks about it for a second. 

“You know,” she says slowly, “I have a friend who could _probably_ get us a fake ultrasound…”

“You’re the _best_ ,” Len says, and kisses her.


	2. Flashwave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashwave prompt: Post-Flashpoint Barry finds that he's in a committed relationship with Mick Rory. It takes a little getting used to.

Barry didn't want to, but he knows he has no choice but to confess what he'd done, the going back, Flashpoint, everything, to everyone - to Joe and Iris and Wally, to Cisco and Caitlin. 

When he was done - they were shocked, they were angry, they couldn't understand, but they forgave him, in the end.

Iris spoke on his behalf, gave up her anger for him.

God, Iris is the _best_.

"Thanks," he says, and kisses her hair.

"You owe me, Barry Allen," she teases, but when he reaches for her, to pull her in close, she steps away.

"I'll owe you forever," he says, trying to be romantic. He's not particularly good at it. He wanted this romance with Iris for so long; it somehow never occurred to him that it'd be so much work to keep it. 

He never thought about how different the expectations can be for friendship or family, and for romance. He never thought he'd be quietly regretting taking the risk, terrified that they’re going to ruin a lifetime of friendship for a romance he’s not even sure he wants anymore, but also not knowing how to take it back without destroying everything.

"You bet you do," Iris says, pleased, but then her smile fades. "But Barry - let me be perfectly clear. I'll defend you to Joe and Wally and your friends and all, but when your _boyfriend_ comes to yell at you, I'm not going to do a thing to stop it because you're going to _deserve_ it."

Barry blinks.

"Wait," he says. "My boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Mick," Iris says, gnawing on her lower lip. "You know how sensitive he is to any type of manipulation. And man, if Len comes to kick your ass for messing with his partner, you're going to be shaving icicles of your sensitive bits for _weeks_ , let me tell you that much..."

She trails off. "Barry?"

"Mick _Rory_?" he squeaks.

"Yes," she says. "Your boyfriend. Love of your life. Guy you got into a fistfight with Joe over. Pyro married - or, ex-married? no idea if they ever filed those papers - to a villainous drama queen. Sound familiar?"

She pauses and stares at him.

He stares at her.

"You remember _him_ , right?!" 

"Oh crap," Barry says.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So apparently, in post-Flashpoint reality, Barry somehow met and started dating Mick Rory. And they fell in love, and he came out to Joe (both about the bi thing and about the dating-a-criminal thing) by being caught in the act, which resulted in a big fight that only got resolved when Mick - Barry needs to start thinking of him as Mick now - nearly died saving the city and Joe personally from a terrible danger. 

And then somewhere in this story Iris started sleeping with Leonard Snart, though Barry's not sure if it was to spite him or Joe or someone else. Spite was definitely involved somehow; she calls him names and he snidely edits her articles and they insult each other with the sort of great casual fondness that comes from actual (if surprising to everyone involved) affection.

So now they're foster-siblings dating criminal partners and Joe is mildly suspicious that they're doing it all just to give him grey hairs.

Iris is planning on announcing her third pregnancy to Joe soon. 

She's not actually pregnant, nor has she ever been pregnant; she just likes to do it every once in a while to fuck with him. Apparently it's her goal to make it so when she actually _is_ pregnant, he doesn't believe her _just_ so he knows how it feels like to be the only one out of the loop.

Like Barry said. Spite. So much spite.

And now Mick and Len are gone on another (brief) Waverider mission, saving the timeline without any thanks from anyone, but they're expected back any time now.

Iris even shows Barry plans, written in his own handwriting, that involve an uninterrupted weekend following Mick's return and, uh...

...sexcapades.

Apparently, Barry in this universe has gotten down with his kinky self a lot more than Barry had in _his_ universe.

Not that all the things on this list aren't exactly what get Barry's motor running, they are, he just - you know, he didn't really think he was _there_ with anyone, but apparently, not only is he there, he's confident enough to share his plans with _Iris_.

"You have to tell him," Iris says sternly.

"I have to tell him," Barry agrees.

He just, you know, hopes that the _notorious arsonist_ he’s apparently dating understands.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, babe," Mick says, walking into Barry's apartment.

"Hey...babe," Barry says weakly.

Barry never really analyzed Mick's relative level of hotness, but - no pun intended - Mick is the sort of hot that's absolutely off the scale. Honestly, criminality aside, Mick is so far out of Barry's league, he's kind of impressed that his alternate self landed him.

Mick reels him in for a kiss before Barry can think to stop him.

Barry's not 100% sure how it happens, but somehow he ends up lifted up against the wall, legs wrapped around Mick's waist, making out passionately and wow, this is like, three or four of his kinks all wrapped up in one. He's not a small guy; he thought manhandling was going to be off the list forever. 

Mick pulls away after a second. "Hey," he says again.

Barry smiles back at him, a little dazed. "Hey," he replies. 

All things considered, if he's stuck in this universe - and it looks like he is - then he's not done too bad for himself.

Well, assuming Mick doesn't dump him on the spot because of Flashpoint.

"Uh, Mick..." he starts.

"We need to talk," Mick says.

Barry blinks. "Um, yes," he says. "Couch?"

He reluctantly untangles his legs from Mick's waist and Mick reluctantly untangles his hands from Barry's hair and they go to sit on the couch.

"So, uh, Barry," Mick says. He prefers nicknames, Iris said as much, but he's clearly trying to be serious.

Barry nods. "You go first, then me," he says. So he's a coward; so be it.

"Right. Uh. You know how when you travel in time there can be...side effects."

Barry sighs and nods.

"And you can try to make things right, but sometimes something changes, and everything is different - similar, but different in a couple of really important ways..."

"Oh, thank god," Barry says. "Someone already told you about Flashpoint."

"Flashpoint?" Mick says blankly.

"Yeah, that’s what I’m calling it. You know, when I ran back in time to save my parents, lived with them for three months, but then things started to go horribly wrong and I tried to fix it but when I came back everything was different," Barry says. 

Mick blinks.

"That - _was_ what you were talking about, right?" Barry asks.

"Uh," Mick says. "No, actually. What changed? For us, I mean."

"Well, uh," Barry says. "I mean - wait. If you weren't talking about Flashpoint, what were you talking about?"

"Snart got lost in the Oculus," Mick says. "We had do to some tricky things to get him out, but we managed it, but when we came back on this last trip, a bunch of things are slightly different. And Gideon - our AI - tells us trying to fix it will only make it worse."

"Oh," Barry says. "So you adjusted my timeline?"

He feels like he ought to be upset, but honestly? He's kind of just relieved that he's not the only one.

"Yeah," Mick says. "We're, uh. We're actually not dating in my original timeline."

Barry blinks. "Wait, really?"

"Not at all," Mick says.

"Me too!"

"What?"

"I mean, we weren't dating in my original timeline - the pre-Flashpoint timeline - we were enemies, you and Snart were supervillains, I barely knew you -"

"I kidnapped your friend Cisco," Mick says, nodding. "We barely even met; you’ve spent more time with Snart than with me -"

"And then I come back and we're _dating_ -"

"We've been _living together_ -"

"And I don't even _know_ you!"

"Exactly!"

They stare at each other, deeply relieved.

“Wait,” Barry says. “So what was with the hello kiss?”

“Hey, you’re cute and as far as I knew, you’d be weirded out if I didn’t say hi,” Mick says, shrugging. “Figured I’d get in one. Went better than I expected.”

Barry considers this. “You know, it’d be kind of weird if we suddenly showed up and we’re not dating,” he says. “We could, you know, keep it up for a while.”

Mick’s eyebrows go up, but he looks intrigued. “I’m listening.”

“Well, clearly _something_ worked pretty well between us, and maybe we’re not at the living together stage, but, you know, we could – try. To go on a date or two, I mean.”

“I’d be up for it,” Mick says, almost managing to sound causal. “Making out was fun.”

“We’re on the same page,” Barry says. “So, uh…”

“Dinner first,” Mick says. “ _Then_ making out. I’ve been stuck without access to a kitchen for too long.”

Barry grins. “I can appreciate someone with an interest in food,” he says. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

“I take it back,” Barry says, halfway through trying to shove everything on the table into his mouth. “We’re in a committed relationship, you live here, no take-backs.”

“You talking to me or my food?” Mick says, amused.

“Honest to god,” Barry says. “I will bet you money this is _just_ how it happened the first time around.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turns out Len’s brand-new Oculus powers lets him reawaken memories of other timelines in people. Iris ends up punching Barry – but she’s also still sleeping with Snart, so Barry guesses she’s not _too_ upset.


End file.
